Double Trouble
by Ann65
Summary: A follow on to Arrivederci, Gopher from the first two episodes of season six, where he's kidnapped and replaced by his identical twin. Our favourite purser is finally back where he belongs - but what did it take out of him to get him there?


Hello there, and welcome to my first story for this wonderful series. Watching it again has brought back so many memories. And Gopher's still as adorable to me today as he was to a highly impressionable twelve year old.

I've wanted to write this story for such a long time, and I'm so happy there's finally a LB category here for me to post it.

It follows on from the two part episodes from the start of season six. I couldn't believe that Gopher went through being kidnapped without some kind of aftermath. How did Guido manage to take him, and get him back to his apartment, without Gopher trying to stop him? I hope my imagination (and Whump!Bunnies) have come up with a believable explanation.

I also wondered how he managed to get back to Rome. From Naples, it's a hundred and forty miles, and before he started that journey, he'd have had to get from Capri to Naples first - another twenty miles.

I've never been to Italy myself, so I've done as much research as I can to make this story as accurate as possible. I might also have watched these episodes a few times too, if just to get two Gophers for the price of one :o)

Enjoy!

* * *

Double Trouble

Gopher stood in the Solaris's lobby, staring after Angelica with that all too familiar '_Not again_!' dropping through his heart. Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. For this boy, it was nothing new.

Losing her to himself, though. His other,_ identical_ self. Well, yeah - that was a first. And definitely _not_ something he wanted to go through again.

Glancing once more around him, he then blinked through suddenly sluggish eyes. He still couldn't believe it, but - yes, he'd made it. Proved to his Captain and closest friends that he really was the _real_ Gopher Smith. His not quite evil twin was on his way into custody, where - hopefully - he couldn't cause any more trouble.

So apart from losing his girl - _again_ \- everything was all right. _He_ was safe. His family were safe. He was back where he belonged. Everything in his world was right again.

Except - why did his Captain's voice sound so odd? So far away? Why did legs that had carried him all those miles to bring him home suddenly feel like rubber? And if they were still moored in port, why was everything swirling around him?

Questions that Gopher had no time to find answers to, as his legs buckled beneath him, and he crashed down onto the deck. All he heard was the thud of his own body's impact. Yells of his name, that followed him into a void of darkness and silence.

"Gopher?"

"Oh, my God... sir! Sir, he's hurt!"

Already at his side, Merrill tried to block out the alarm that now surged through him. Beneath the dirt that was smeared all over it, Gopher's face was alarmingly pale. And yes, he was sure all this effort to get back to them had just overwhelmed him, but... well, he wasn't a doctor. And he wasn't taking any chances. Cradled against him, the boy felt alarmingly limp.

Ignoring the stench of stale sweat, and oil, and God knew what else that reeked around him, Merrill held him gently closer - his attempt to reassure Julie as much for his benefit as it was for hers.

"It's all right, Julie, I think he's just fainted... but I need you to bring Doc back here to check him over..."

As soon as he said it, Merrill realized that wasn't going to happen. Julie was now kneeling at Gopher's other side, squeezing his hand to try and rouse him. Until she knew for sure that he wasn't hurt, she wasn't going anywhere.

In wry hindsight, Merrill knew it wasn't a good idea to send her anyway. He needed someone big enough, and strong enough, to stop this Guido from trying to escape, and - ah, yes. At six four in his socks, and built like the ship he worked on, his new gym instructor was the perfect choice - and not just for his physical size.

After what he'd just seen, Dino Carlotti had a face like a thundercloud. Maybe it was the face, or those big brown eyes, but 'Gopher bambino', it seemed, was just like his little brother back home. Anyone who dared to hurt him was in_ serious_ trouble. Even if he hadn't, the intruder who'd tried to take his place had still caused him a _lot_ of upset. If he had any sense, he'd do anything, and everything, that Dino said.

"It's all right, Dino, he's all right... now, can you go get Dr Bricker, please? And make sure our intruder gets _out_ of that uniform before he reaches the police? He's caused enough trouble in it already, without causing us any more."

Watching him stride away, Merrill allowed himself an approving smile. Oh, that lovelorn gardener would get there, all right. Probably stripped down to his underwear, and slung over one of those massive shoulders. But then a glance down to the still and silent figure in his arms reminded him of far more serious matters. And he doubted if he'd ever be more relieved to see his CMO run towards him, with Isaac right on his heels.

"He just collapsed, Adam. Hit the deck before I could reach him."

Moving back to give Doc more room to work, Merrill stood to slide a fatherly arm around Julie's shoulders, while giving Isaac an encouraging pat on the back. He couldn't show it too openly, of course, but - yes, he was as worried as they were. So the smile on Doc's face when he finally looked up at them answered three silent prayers long before he did so in words.

"He's dehydrated, and had one hell of an adrenalin crash... that's what's caused him to faint. And he's hit his head on the deck here. But he's going to be fine. He just needs a good night's rest, and a couple of decent meals. Now, let's get him down to the Infirmary so I can get him cleaned up, and somewhere more comfortable than this floor."

Something more than Captain's privilege just beat Isaac to the pinch, as Merrill again lifted Gopher into his arms, and rose carefully to his feet. There'd been several times through the previous day when he'd thought something was wrong. That his purser wasn't quite himself. To know that he really hadn't been now niggled at his conscience.

Guilt was niggling at him, too, for not taking an albeit incredible situation more seriously.

"_Good Lord, there are two of them! Wasn't one enough_?"

Yes, the first thing the boy would hear when he woke up would be a contrite apology. But for now, Isaac played his instinctive role too - running ahead of them to clear the way as Gopher was carried to the Infirmary.

Only there was he passed into another safe pair of hands. And only there did the full extent of his ordeal become clear, as Doc gently cut off his clothes, and started to wash him down.

Rope burns around his wrists contrasted against the gloves that still covered his hands. The same marks around his arms and chest revealed how tightly he'd been restrained - and the effort it had taken him to escape.

He wouldn't have let himself be kidnapped quietly either. He'd either been knocked out, or drugged. Chloroform, most likely, to subdue him enough for his abductor to tie him up, and spirit him away from any chance of rescue.

His reaction to the mask on his face settled it. To a mind still fighting back to consciousness, it was the cloth that had been clamped so roughly over his mouth and nose. Hands that tried to keep him still were those that had pulled that sack over his head, and tied him up inside it. Until he'd yielded to that chloroformed rag, all he'd felt was claustrophobic terror.

As he'd done then, Gopher struggled frantically against them. For the friend who now tried to calm him down, it was a heartbreaking sight.

"Whoa, Gopher, easy now... take it easy, you're safe now... it's all right, kiddo, you're safe now... you're safe now, Gopher, it's me... it's Doc... that's it, attaboy... easy now, you're all right... it's all over..."

It took several moments for his voice to register, but finally it reached the friend who needed so badly to hear it. Slumping back into his arms, Gopher then opened his eyes, and searched for the face he needed to see - its comfort adding to the hand that still stroked back his hair.

"D - Doc? Re - Really you?"

Tousling the fringe that he'd just taken such pains to straighten, Doc grinned back at him - though in his relief at his friend's recovery, the words he used with his own favourite nickname weren't entirely appropriate.

"Yeah, kiddo, it's me. The one and only."

By the time he realized what he'd said, it was too late. Gopher was already reacting to it - panic returning to his eyes as he stared around him, as if expecting his identical nemesis to re-appear, and start his nightmare all over again. Mentally kicking himself, Doc had to try again to calm him down.

"Easy now, Goph, it's all right... he's in jail now, he can't do anything more to hurt you... you're safe now, it's all over..."

With this second assurance of safety came more effects of the efforts he'd made to reach it. Nearly two days without sleep and decent nourishment were now taking their toll. His head felt as if it were about to explode off his shoulders, and tremors still shook through his hands. But then his head was gently lifted upwards, while a glass of something cool and sweet was held to his mouth.

"This is going to taste like syrup, Goph, but it'll raise your blood sugar levels, and you'll feel a whole lot better. Slowly now... that's it..."

Sipping it down, Gopher had to agree. It was like swallowing the stickiest kind of treacle. But true to Doc's word, it started to clear his head. And to Doc's relief, his eyes began to regain their focus.

As they stared down at himself, that amusement only increased. Even in the presence of a trusted friend, and doctor, waking up without any clothes on was a disturbing discovery. Time for a bit of doctor/patient reassurance.

"It's okay, Goph... I'm a doctor, remember? I've seen it all before."

Even as he pulled a face back at him, Gopher still tucked his sheet more securely around his waist. Sensing his genuine embarrassment, Doc found a spare set of scrubs and, with some careful maneuvering, helped him into them.

He wasn't smiling any more either, or in the mood for any more teasing. To his professionally trained eyes, his patient's still held shadows that didn't belong there. Confused, shaken, and nowhere near his usual self, his best friend suddenly felt like a stranger again.

He'd been through a hellish ordeal, but he just didn't have the strength right now to talk it out, and its memories wouldn't allow him the rest he needed so badly. So yes, the IV that he now set up in Gopher's arm would include a bit of extra 'doctoring' from the doctor.

By the time he finished tucking an extra blanket around him, Gopher lay in a subtly induced sleep. A safe haven that was deep enough to keep him there, out of those memories' reach.

Making sure he was as warm and comfortable as possible, Doc smiled as he stroked back his hair. Tucked up in bed, he was everything a littlest brother was meant to be. Deceptively innocent. Blissfully content. And too damn cute for words.

As his eyes settled back on Gopher's wrist, though, the smile faded into another concerned frown. Yes, he was physically safe, and those rope burns would soon heal. But having someone try to steal your life away would leave a wholly different mark on his mind. All the 'what ifs' of Guido Calamara's actions, and what they could have cost him.

What if he'd managed to stay on board to live out his deception? What if he'd been more unstable than a lovelorn gardener? What if he'd posed any kind of threat to them, or his unsuspecting family?

Luckily, he wouldn't be facing those 'what ifs' alone. The friends who loved the real Gopher Smith would see to that.

Right now, though, Doc had to face the three who were still waiting in his office - a raised hand instantly stopping their inevitable rush of questions.

"Shhh! I've just got him off to sleep."

Closing the door behind him, he offered them a reassuring smile as they all re-took their seats. The news they all wanted to hear first, he'd already decided. Then, as his Captain had already sensed they needed, a more private discussion between them.

"He's going to be all right... he came round while I was checking him over, but... well, as you can imagine, getting here from where I'm guessing he was kidnapped has taken a lot out of him. Right now, he needs to sleep without any kind of disturbance, so I've given him a sedative to make sure he gets it. If you want to see him for a minute, that's fine, but he won't wake up 'til the morning. As I said, he really needs to sleep... let his body recover..."

From the nods that answered him, three now much happier friends had already worked this out for themselves. As Isaac then quietly said for all of them, the journey that Gopher had faced to reach them still beggared belief.

"Yeah, if this Guido took him while we were in Capri, that's over a hundred miles away... even if he managed to hitch a few rides, that's still one hell of a trip..."

A hundred and forty, to be more exact - but Merrill knew this wasn't the time for pedantry. It was time for him to speak in the role that he'd made his own - the father figure that Julie and Isaac needed him to be, and the Captain who now gently reminded them of their more practical duties.

"Once he's recovered enough, Isaac, I'm sure he'll tell us all about it. And as much as I know you want to stay with him, we still have a ship full of passengers to look after... as Doc said, he won't be awake 'til the morning, and we need to let him rest."

"And he's looking a lot better than the last time you saw him..." Doc agreed, smiling too as he led them back into the Infirmary, and to the side of Gopher's bed.

Inevitably, too, that minute he'd given them turned to several, as Merrill, Isaac, and Julie all took their turns to savour the sight in front of them. Their Gopher, their real Gopher - now safe and sound and clean again, sleeping peacefully through his dreams. Even if he wasn't able to hear it, his Captain felt honour bound to say it anyway.

"Welcome home, Mr Smith. Welcome home."

From his Captain and closest friend came the gentlest pats on his shoulder. From Julie, the gentlest kiss on his cheek. But once they'd finally left him, Merrill turned back to his CMO, and the smile on his face turned back to a worried frown.

"All right, Adam... what do you need to tell me that you couldn't tell them?"

"I hate to say it, Merrill, but it might be better if I showed you," Doc answered just as quietly, lifting the cuff of one of Gopher's gloves so he could see the rope marks beneath it. "Wherever this Guido took him, he didn't do it gently."

Not trusting himself to speak, Merrill just nodded. It could have been much worse, of course, but - no. Either from his abduction, or his struggles to get free, his boy had been hurt. Wherever his kidnapper was right now, he hoped he was paying for what he'd done.

Too furious to look at them any longer, his eyes moved back to Gopher's face. In sleep, he looked so young, so vulnerable. His irrepressible, irreplaceable scamp of a purser, who now lay so still. So unsettlingly quiet.

None of that had anything, though, on the millions to one coincidence that could only have happened to one member of his crew. When the time came for that apology, and if the boy was recovered enough to hear it, then... yes, he'd just have to say this too.

"Oh, Gopher... this could only happen to you..."

Right now, though, Merrill just shook his head - still struggling to believe that his one of a kind purser wasn't quite as unique as he'd thought.

"My God, Adam, they really were identical... not even Roz could have told them apart... and for once, thank God he forgot that report..."

Still checking the IV beside him, Doc didn't see how he then winced at a point that, in truth, he'd been too distracted to consider.

"If you were stunned, think how he must have felt. And don't forget, Merrill, he was in Gopher's cabin for almost two days, so he had plenty of time to learn everything about him. If not in the same way, I think he'll feel the same sense of violation as my aunt did when she was burglarized... even if he didn't take anything..."

"...he still invaded his privacy..." Merrill finished for him, his voice bristling with anger towards the intruder who'd come so close to stealing Gopher's life.

The thought that he'd also stolen his most personal belongings now gave him even more reason to leave now, and let his boy sleep in peace.

"I'll make sure myself that everything's still there. And I'm sure Isaac won't mind having a bunk-mate. I don't think he'll want to let Gopher out of his sight."

"I don't think any of us will," Doc agreed just as quietly, offering his friend and Captain another reassuring smile as he walked him out to his office. "But he'll be all right, Merrill. We'll get him through this."

Smiling back at him, Merrill nodded - happier in the knowledge now that Gopher was in the very safest of hands. Taking one last glance towards him, he then set off to ask his chief bartender a favour that Isaac would never refuse.

Left alone with him once more, Doc returned to Gopher's side - taking his own moment to make him the same promise that he'd just made to his Captain.

"Yeah, we'll get you through this. So sleep well, kiddo. And sweet dreams."

* * *

Gopher woke slowly, in a comforting warmth that he really didn't want to leave. But then he felt a hand stroking back his hair. An equally gentle voice, coaxing him to open his eyes to see who it belonged to.

"Gopher? Hey, good morning, sleepyhead... you're just in time for breakfast..."

At any other time, the plate of toast beside him would have instantly caught Gopher's attention. But this was a Gopher who'd just been through a horrific ordeal. Until he started to recover from it, the teasing over his infamous appetite would have to wait.

So then, doctor mode first - big brother mode later. Depending on how he answered this next question, maybe a little bit of both.

"I've got some toast here, if you want it. You must be pretty hungry."

When Gopher didn't answer him, the ripple of concern grew into a deeper frown. Yes, he'd just woken out of a deep enforced sleep, but watching him stare down at himself only confirmed Doc's suspicions.

Even under sedation, those memories had still reached him. Confirmed by these bruises, these marks on his arms, what he'd taken as his dreaming imagination had all been real. Terrifyingly real.

Those shadows were back again too, in the wide eyes that finally stared up at him. To Doc's dismay, the shock of what he'd been through was about to hit him all over again, even harder than it had done before.

"I - I didn't dream it, did I, Doc? He... it... really happened..."

Sitting on the edge of his bed, Doc nodded - keeping his reply as calm and honest as it had to be, for the breakdown he knew was coming.

"Yes, kiddo, it did... but you're safe now, Gopher, and you're going to be fine... now, first things first... how are you feeling?"

Again, no answer. But then, Gopher didn't need to. His face said it all. And as it lost the fight against the tears in his eyes, big brother mode beat every other instinct he had as Doc wrapped him into a comforting hug.

"He - He looked just like me, Doc, and - and you all thought he was me, and... and I - I never thought I'd see you again!"

And there it was. The 'what could have been' nightmare that had so nearly became a reality. And knowing it had almost happened before didn't help Doc feel any better.

The practical joke that had left his littlest brother locked up in a Curacao jail, with no-one to help him, and left to find his own way home. The mother of guilt trips later, Doc had vowed for them both - never again.

So yes, he had every reason now to hug him gently closer, while making him another heartfelt promise.

"Yeah, kiddo, I know... it's okay, Gopher, you're safe now... whatever you went through back there, we'll get you through it..."

Still huddled against him, Gopher was quiet for so long that Doc thought he'd gone back to sleep. But then he felt a telltale nudge as he pushed himself away - an embarrassed smile still the most priceless reaction he could have asked for.

"Attaboy... yeah, you needed to get all that out of you... and this IV can come out too... now, how about something more appetizing to replace it? And if you feel up to it, some company too?"

As he'd hoped, both questions were answered with a much more familiar grin. Easing himself up on his pillows, the Gopher Smith he knew so well was coming back.

Slowly at first, then with increasing speed, so was his appetite. By the time Doc completed his call, the tray of toast and coffee he'd left on Gopher's lap had all but disappeared.

Inevitably, there were more tears too, and hugs from the friends he never thought he'd see again. The tightest came from his Captain, while the longest came from Isaac. Only Julie's, though, came with a kiss that left him wriggling for air. And to Doc's relief, those tears soon gave way to the joy of being safely home.

Glancing across at Merrill, both of them hoped that would continue through what was to come. Even with all his friends around him, the story he had to tell them was not going to be easy. With Julie holding his hand, and some gentle prompting from his Captain, Gopher started to reveal how his dream day in Capri had turned into a nightmare.

"In your own time, son, whenever you're ready... can you remember how it happened? How he managed to take you?"

"Yeah, he... uh, lured me into this alley... next thing I know, this sack gets thrown over me, and my arms get tied in its cords... I - I guess he must have knocked me out with whatever he gagged me with, 'cos the next thing I know, I'm waking up in his room... I - I don't know how I got there... all I remember is being tied to a chair in my underwear..."

Among a line of shocked faces, Doc's was the calmest. But then, he was still partly in doctor mode, watching Gopher's face for any sign of distress - a glance from his Captain returned with a subtle nod. So far, so good. Their boy was doing fine.

"I'm guessing you were drugged with chloroform," he said at last, taking this chance to pass his patient another glass of orange juice. "He needed to keep you quiet 'til he had you safely hidden."

"Not to mention while he took off my clothes."

Sipping his drink, Gopher didn't see how the tone he'd used had made all of them, even Julie, smile again. Behind that sweet nature lay one hell of a temper for those who exploited it too far. If he hadn't been drugged into submission, his kidnapper would have felt and heard every part of it.

For Isaac, though, the greatest mystery of this incredible journey still had to be solved. Giving his friend a few more moments to recover himself, it was a question that he asked for every one of them.

"But how did you get back, Goph? I mean, I checked the distance with our navigator, and from Naples to here, it's almost two hundred miles!"

To his surprise, a mischievous grin answered him. Even a kidnapped, drugged, and ticked off purser, it seemed, was still ingeniously resourceful.

"Hey, he took my face and my clothes, right? The least he could do was give me his in return. _And_ his wallet. So once I got free and got back to Naples, I found a bus that was going to Rome, and just jumped on it. But once his money ran out, I had to start walking... then hitching... and boy, I tell you, some of these rural Italians stop for _nobody_!"

Pausing once more, he then smiled. For every driver who'd passed him by, hurled abuse, shaken their fists, and damn near run him over, came the only exception who'd stopped. The kindly old farmer, who'd understood enough of his frantic English to try and help him.

"Then I got lucky, and caught a ride with Giovanni in his horse truck... at least 'til its gas ran out... so we rode the rest of the way to his farm just outside Latina, and... well, thanks to him, and an old Vespa that its owner didn't want any more, I finally made it to Rome... though that Vespa didn't get me any further, and the only way I could get here was on the back of a haulage rig."

That wasn't entirely true, of course. He'd clung for dear life on the back of a haulage rig, but... well, they didn't need to know that. They were all making enough of a fuss of him as it was, without scaring the pants off them too.

Besides, his Captain looked startled enough already, though not for the reasons that Gopher thought. The penny that had been niggling at him for so many hours finally dropped into a stunned confession.

"Oh, dear Lord! Gopher, it _was_ you! Don't you remember, Adam? When we were taking that carriage ride with Vicki, and we saw..."

"...an argument between a traffic cop, and some scruffy kid with a blown out Vespa..."

As Doc finished his Captain's sentence, their faces held the same expressions. Astonishment that they hadn't made the connection before now, and regret that if they'd just stopped their carriage, it would have spared that 'scruffy kid' at least the last part of his journey. It took a wry smile from Gopher himself to remind them they had nothing to be sorry for.

"Hey, you couldn't have known it was me. Don't forget, he'd replaced me by then, and I was... uh... pretty much out of uniform. The first time you saw me in his clothes was when I ran into the lobby..."

As the only one who'd seen that rather loud and frantic entrance, Julie couldn't resist setting him straight.

"From where I stood, Gopher, you _fell_ into it. You were running so fast, I thought you were going to crash straight through the wall."

A fair point, that he conceded with a rueful smile. Glancing down to where she still held his hand, he quietly made a point of his own.

"Yeah, well, I didn't know what he was going to do in my place. I mean, sure, he was just a lovesick gardener, but..."

"...things could have been so very different... and all you could think about was getting back here to warn us," Merrill finished for him, with all the pride that his courage deserved.

With his story now more or less over, and not wishing to tire him, he then rose from his chair, and waited for Isaac and Julie to do the same.

"Well now, Mr Smith, you've had a quite incredible journey to come home to us... but now that you have, I think we need to let you rest..."

As the father to a teenage daughter, he should have known better. To his amusement, recuperating pursers hated the thought of early bed-time too.

"Aww, sir! I feel fine now, and it's not even lunch time yet! 'sides, we came all this way to see Italy, and all I've seen of it is a _lot_ of its cars!"

Another fair point, that only one of them was qualified to answer. As four hopeful faces turned towards him, Doc had to smile at the one that held the most appeal. Damn this kid brother of his, and those puppy dog eyes!

"Well, I doubt it'll be a problem, but I want you to get some more food down you first... and on light duties for the rest of the day. But any kind of faintness, and I want you back here, on the double. Capiche?"

An offer that his littlest brother couldn't refuse. It was Isaac's, though, that brought out the biggest grin of the day.

"No sweat, Doc, he can hang out with me. I'll keep a _real_ close eye on him."

Recalling their earlier predictions, Merrill and Doc traded wryly proud glances. Yes, big brother had spoken. From the delight on his face, littlest brother wasn't about to argue - just frown in puzzlement at what he said next.

"And if you need to go crash for a while, Goph, we've got your bunk all set in my cabin."

Either from confusion or tiredness, the frown deepened. It took the fatherly tact of his Captain to explain the decision they'd made on his behalf.

"We... uh, weren't sure if you'd want to go back to your own. And you don't need to worry, Gopher, he didn't take anything, but..."

"...you thought it'd be a bit freaky for me to sleep where he'd been," Gopher finished for him, a shy smile expressing how much that thought was appreciated. "Thank you, sir... yeah, it... uh, kinda would."

"Yes, I can imagine," Merrill nodded, acting on another fatherly instinct now as he patted Gopher's shoulder. "Well now, Mr Smith, I'll leave you in Doc and Isaac's most capable hands. But if you need me, Gopher... for anything at all... you know where I am. My door's always open."

He knew that already, of course. Any time, day or night, Gopher knew he'd be there - filling the massive gap that his father had left behind. But that didn't stop a smile of shy gratitude from spreading over his face.

In truth, though, Merrill didn't think he'd need to take him up on that offer anytime soon. As he'd expected, Isaac stuck to his friend's side like glue. Everywhere that Gopher went for the rest of that day, a pair of protective eyes were never too far behind him.

Not even the knock on the door that came later that evening surprised him. He was the Captain after all. Such interruptions were all part of the job. So when the door opened, and he saw Gopher's face appear around it, his latest reports were instantly forgotten.

Yes, he was still on his feet, but something was clearly wrong - though not seriously enough to warrant the anxious fussings of his Captain.

"It's okay, sir, I'm - I'm fine... and I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but I... um... need your help. And a favour."

Help and a favour, instead of a doctor? Well, yes - a now happier Captain had no problem with that. But it didn't stop him from steering his worryingly subdued purser towards the couch. Even when they settled onto it, his hand still stayed on Gopher's shoulder.

"Of course, Gopher. Whatever you need."

Whatever this favour was, it took Gopher three attempts to get it out - the softness of his voice betraying the conflict behind it.

"I've just seen Angelica, sir, and... well, she isn't in love with me, sir. It - It isn't me she wants. It's him."

Ah. Yes, that explained all the emotions that now flew through Gopher's eyes. Everything he'd ever wanted, crashing against the core of his character. And even as he felt a father's tug of sympathy for the pain he saw within them, Merrill already knew where this was heading.

As things stood, Guido Calamara was still locked up in jail. His fate lay in Gopher's hands, and... _damn it_! Love wasn't just cruel sometimes, it had one hell of a sense of irony too. So yes, even if it kept them awake all night, both of them needed a hit of fresh coffee. And for Gopher, a consoling hug to go with it.

"I see. And as the victim of his crime, the only person who can get him out of jail him is you."

As it always did, Gopher's face said more than any number of words. He'd lost his identity to the millions to one chance of an unrelated twin. Now he'd lost his girl to him too.

Frank Sinatra couldn't have put it better. Yeah, wasn't _that_ a kick in the head?

Even when a wry smile answered him, Merrill knew he couldn't say any more. At least, not yet. Yes, of course he'd support whatever decision Gopher made here - but that decision had to come from him.

It took a couple of caffeine-driven circuits around his cabin for him to get there. But, just as his Captain expected, he didn't have long to wait.

"I - I know he caused me a whole lot of trouble, sir... and a journey I'll never forget, but... well, he didn't hurt me, sir. He didn't do any of the things that I don't ever want to think about, and... well, if he had Angelica, he wouldn't need to be me again... would he?"

Faced with such logic, Merrill couldn't think of anything to argue against it. Instead he found a smile. A very relieved smile, and even prouder pat on his shoulder as Gopher sat back beside him to wait for his reply.

He had to wait a few more moments to hear it - at least until a thought of pure pride passed through his Captain's mind.

'_That's my boy_.'

"When you put it like that, Gopher... no, he wouldn't," he said at last, enjoying that thought for a little bit longer as he guessed the rest of his purser's intentions. "So you want him released... and put Angelica's happiness ahead of your own."

With its weight of indecision lifted off his shoulders, both smile and nod came much easier now. And, of course, his boy wasn't going to leave it there, was he? Of course he wasn't.

"As crazy as it sounds, sir... yes, I want him released. That's why I need your permission for a ship to shore call, and... uh, our next stop's Venice, right? The day after tomorrow? I'd... um, really appreciate it if he could be there when we arrive, so I can... you know, bring them together."

Damn if his Captain wasn't grinning now. He couldn't help it. Those big brown eyes were just born to bargain. And one of these days, Merrill dryly told himself, he might find a way to deny them.

Not now, though. Instead, he spoke as both a Captain and a father, to tell his boy everything he needed to hear.

"It's not crazy at all. For those of us who know you, Gopher... the _real_ you... it says everything we love about you. Your courage, your loyalty... and most of all your selflessness towards others. I know how you felt about her, son, and how much it'll hurt you to let her go. But for what it's worth, Gopher, you've done the right thing. For that, and so much else, I am very, _very_, proud of you."

He was too. As proud as any father could be for a son who'd made such a sacrifice. From the sheen in this son's eyes, it meant even more to him than what he'd just lost.

"Thank you, sir, that's... uh, worth more than any kind of fortune."

Promising them both that he wouldn't wait so long before saying it again, Merrill just nodded as they both rose to their feet. He hadn't missed that yawn either, or the tiredness that he could see creeping into Gopher's eyes. With, he hoped, not too much argument, it was time to send his little boy to bed. Not with a bed-time story, either, but a hug of genuine pride.

"Now, get yourself to bed, and get some rest while I make those calls. Oh, and Gopher? You were, uh... sound asleep when I told you this before, so I'll say it again to you now. Welcome home, Gopher. Welcome home."

"Thank you, sir... it's, uh... kinda nice to be back."

After everything he'd been through, that impish grin was worth its weight in gold. And as the door closed behind him, his Captain's only grew wider. He didn't think he'd ever be more proud of his truly irreplaceable purser than he was right now. But as deep as that pride ran, he only needed three words to say it aloud.

"_That's_ my boy."

* * *

He was being watched. Even in the crowds of a Venetian street, Gopher could feel two sets of eyes, following his every move. Not that he minded. Shadowed by two protective big brothers... no, he didn't mind at all.

If Angelica had seen them, she hadn't made any comment, or asked him why they were there. Instead, she let him guide her towards the 'surprise' he had for her. A set of steps, that looked the same as all the others they'd seen. So why, then, had he brought her here?

She found part of the answer in the eyes she'd fallen in love with. So warm, and gentle, and kind. Full of the love of a true friend, who'd just sacrificed his own happiness for hers.

Following the prompt of his hand, she finally saw him. Forgiven, and freed, and - yes, she knew who'd arranged to bring him here too - Guido stood waiting for her. And in the city of lovers, how ironic it was that the person he'd kidnapped to reach her should now give her the final nudge to go to him.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Come on, he's waiting... go..."

He'd told her to go - but she couldn't. Just two steps away from him, she turned and came back to him for one last hug. Even with that smile on his face, a whisper of thanks didn't seem enough to quell the guilt she felt at hurting him.

"Grazie."

"Prego."

Another single word somehow forgave her. Told her everything she needed to hear. Then she was walking away again. For good this time, into the arms of the rival who'd stolen his face, and also her heart.

Watching them both set off for their new life together, the only thought for himself that Gopher had hoped for was granted. She didn't turn to look back at him. Neither did he.

But then, he started to smile again, as he turned around too, and saw two unmistakeably white clad figures waiting for him. Yes, he'd lost his girl, but he still had his family. Not even an Italian fruitcake called Guido could take them away from him.

Were either of them heirs to a life changing fortune? No. Did any of that matter right now? All things considered, he'd have to say no to that too.

By the time he reached them, the grin was full and free again - not just from the arms that slid around his shoulders, but the hope of a new dream to replace the one he'd just lost.

Somewhere out there, he'd find the girl who'd share that houseful of kids with him. Who'd sew the curtains for its windows. Grow old with him, with the family he'd always wanted. And who knew? Maybe she had her own twin out there as well, just waiting for him to find her too.

At dinner that night, he took place of honour at his Captain's table. As the champagne - and water - flowed, so did the laughter. To the relief of everyone around him, their little ray of sunshine was well and truly back again. Back where he belonged. And back for good.


End file.
